


there was happiness because of you

by theepiccek



Category: Innkeeper Chronicles - Ilona Andrews
Genre: F/M, Gen, Happy families
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:20:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28044558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theepiccek/pseuds/theepiccek
Summary: This is the way of the Inns - people come, people go, even our favourites. We’re the waystation they pass through.Or: Maud & Arland swing by Gertrude Hunt at the end of their honeymoon
Relationships: Dina Demille/Sean Evans, Maud Demille/Arland Krahr
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	there was happiness because of you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hariboo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hariboo/gifts).



> Happy Yuletide! I hope you enjoy this fic, I had an absolute blast being back in the Innkeeper world & hanging out with this precious little family. I hope you'll indulge me going a little wider than just Maud and Arland.

It’s not long after dawn that Maud arrives on the back lawn of Gertrude Hunt, out of the red glow of the transport, her fingers intertwined with Arland’s and immediately stops in her tracks. 

Standing on the back patio are two stoic figures. One she knows is Dina: the blue robe is an obvious clue, the broom gives her away, but Maud would like to think she wouldn’t mistake the calming aura for anyone else. Standing next to her is six and a half feet of pure muscle - Sean Evans, not unexpected, but Maud had rather thought he would be of the “when hell freezes over” school of thought when he comes to an innkeepers robe. Yet there he is, clad in a grey robe, the soft fabric draping over his athletic frame. Maud bites the inside of her lip to stop the smile from forming. 

She hadn’t really expected any welcome exactly, she wasn’t really a guest here before, and even Arland has never stood on ceremony here and required a formal welcome. And as soon as the thought has entered her mind - 

_Oh she wouldn’t._

Maud watches with suspicion as the air around the porch starts to shimmer, and the Innkeeper robes darken to a deep, rich navy blue, looking exactly like the night sky. 

_Oh she absolutely would._

“Gertrude Hunt welcomes the Lord Marshal and Lady Maven of House Krahr, they who were recently bound in matrimony, shar-” 

Dina cuts off with a startled laugh as Helen sprints between her and Sean’s legs to grasp Maud around the waist and cling to her. As Helen stares up at her and Arland she rushes to start telling them all about the fish she and Aunt Dina got for the pond in her room and sparring with Uncle Sean. 

When Maud looks up Dina and Sean are standing in front of her on the lawn, still in the robes but absent the eerie ethereal glow of the Innkeeper, and with huge grins (an actual grin for Dina, and the larger-than-usual smirk that serves as Sean’s grin when he’s around Arland). 

“Sorry, Helen, it’s my turn for a hug” 

\--  
_  
Let’s back up a bit, shall we?_

_Maud and her vampire - Arland, I’ve always liked him, even before Maud - are here to collect the little one. Helen: I know her name, but I don’t often have one so young staying, especially not one who understands me._

_We’ve hosted her for the last fortnight, while Maud and her vampire enjoyed their honeymoon. Helen talks to me as she works on her room - never settling for less than her imagination tells her she can do. I know all about how the Lady Ilemina, Preceptor of House Krahr, said vampires don’t have honeymoons, and that if they insisted, there was no need for them to leave Daesyn, and they certainly didn’t need to take the children to outsiders._

_Apparently Maud had bowed her head and reminded her mother-in-law that her sister was no normal human, but instead an Innkeeper (one of the best, if I’m allowed to say so), and yes, Helen is a vampire child, but she is also a human child and it seems to be in her best interests to spend time with her human family when she has the chance to._

_(I doubt anyone mentioned that Sean Evans is not technically a human)  
_  
\--

Maud lets go of Dina, squeezing the tops of her arms in affection. It’s equal measures odd and comforting being back at Gertrude Hunt; it’s not her inn, not like their parents’ was, but it is still an inn on Earth, and there’s something about the way the land feels and the air smells that makes her feel like she’s known this place forever. 

As Dina turns to greet Arland she’s barely opened her mouth before he sweeps forward into a kneel, his head bowed briefly before rising again with a warm smile, fangs showing. 

“My lady Dina, I thank you once again for the warm hospitality and friendship you show House Krahr and -” 

Maud jabs her elbow into Arland's side, cutting him off before it turns into a sonnet. 

“What was that for?” Arland looks so forlorn, Maud almost wants to let him continue. Between him and Helen, it seems unlikely she’ll have any escape from pleading, melodramatic looks. 

“Your sister did me the honor of a formal greeting, my honor and that of House Krahr demand that I return her greeting in kind. To shun the hospitality of anyone, let alone an Innkeeper of the Lady Dina’s reputation and significance is to turn our backs on the Writ of Command'.' 

From the corner of her eye, she can see Sean only barely containing an eye roll. 

“She might be an Innkeeper, but he’s also family now, and she was messing with us. I think we can agree that when we’re visiting here as family you can hug her in greeting” 

“Very well, if you insist. Such odd human customs.” The petulance in his tone is offset by the warmth in his expression as he stoops to wrap his arms around Dina. Maud watches as he nods at Sean, before walking towards the porch to greet Calendia, his voice sparkling with the confidence of a Vampire Knight anticipating adoration. “Well there is one here who will appreciate formal manners, isn’t that right, your Grace?” 

Helen follows behind Arland like a shadow and Maud thinks if she was any smaller she would be weaving in and out of his legs. Dina slides in next to Maud, and wraps an arm around her waist as they watch Arland exchange quips with Calendia. 

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but what… did you do to Arland?” 

“What do you mean?” Maud replies, brow furrowed in fake confusion. Dina’s eyes narrow in return, and Maud cracks a small smile. “We talked on the way to the gate about this not being an event hosted at Gertrude Hunt, or a retreat for him as Marshal; that we’re visiting family, and I would expect him to act like it.” 

Maud takes great pleasure seeing the slight raise of her sisters eyebrows. Dina has been an Innkeeper for a few years now, and has been specialising in increasingly uncommon and risky guests. To see even a hint of a surprise on her face gives her the same sort of thrill as when she beats Arland in a sparring match. 

\--  
_  
Oh, the feeling when a Vampire - a_ Marshall _at that - walks through the door. It’s a unique magic he has. I don’t think he would ever call it magic, they never do, the Vampires. It goes directly against their Goddess. But they have it all the same, and it soaks in slowly through the floorboards and down into my roots; a surprisingly gentle magic for a species so stubborn and aggressive._

_But Maud walking in: it’s a rush. The other innkeepers, they’re never here to stay, so they stay behind a bubble when they visit, but Maud doesn’t have her own Inn, and now that she’s married Arland she isn’t family when she stays here either. When Maud stays with me her magic sweeps through everything as pure power. It’s an added bonus that her being here makes Dina so happy._

_Dina has already taken Maud to the wing she sets aside for them, a room connecting with Helen’s, the connection to Dina’s room removed in turn. I knew it had gone against everything in Dina to leave the room a blank slate, to allow Maud to create the interior herself, but we justfiy it as giving the guests the experience they want. Maud has the desire and capability to create her own room, so we help her._

_Dina had me pull the deep bath out of storage yesterday, anticipating Maud would want it in her room. When she’s done, the room is a bright white, with soft, luxurious furniture covered in pillows._

_Dina had seemed surprised - vampires usually want stone and wood, the rooms are heavy, but it makes them feel safe and fortified, especially when they’re travelling with family. Maud’s room though: she called to mind the idea of a cloud and oh, look what we built together. The room makes Maud happy, which makes Dina happy. The sisters let Helen bounce around it while they catch up._

_While they do that, I take a moment to pause, as I do when new guests have arrived and Dina is calm to be still and revel in the magic of the guests._

\--

When Maud walks back into their room later that day, she feels equally exhausted and energised. When Dina mentioned they were expecting a triad of Stjasvæ later in the week, Maud couldn’t help but offer, because well: space mermaids.

“Sorry, did you say _space mermaids_?!” Sean had asked incredulously. 

“I mean technically-” Dina started, before catching Maud's eye and deciding better of it. “Yes, space mermaids,” she finished with a sigh. 

“You’re not teaching him about the visitors?” Maud had been surprised: usually Dina have already pulled up the screen and the old record books. 

“We, uh, tend to make a game of the teaching and memorising”. Watching a blush creep across her sister's skin, and a truly wolfish smirk spread over Sean’s face, Maud was suddenly very sorry she had asked. 

But Dina had made up for it by sending Maud off to a (really far too fancy) deluxe blow dry as a treat. For a brief moment she thought about refusing it, but after Karhari there wasn’t much more she loved than not having to worry about water, and she knew Dina had chosen this exact gift because it would be so hard for her to turn down a treat like this: the deep bliss of being pampered, another thing she had so often had to give up after marrying Melizard before she found her place again with Arland. Dina once again showing why she was such an excellent Innkeeper: here was she, not even a real guest, and a joy she hadn’t even known she needed was provided to her. 

“Do you know,” Arland says, his voice cutting through her thoughts, “this is the first time I’ve stayed here, and no one has tried to kill me, or attacked Gertrude Hunt.” A thoughtful pause. “I suppose that’s what holidays should be.” 

As she turns to look at him, her pulse picks up ever so slightly. He’s leaning against the headboard, reclining under a sheet - definitely naked, based on his silhouette. His own hair is tied loosely in a knot behind him, his chest on display, looking more like a renaissance painting than the Military Head of their house, it takes a moment for Maud’s brain to catch up. 

“Generally yes, vacations don’t involved attempted murder or battle, and honeymoons certainly don’t.”

All she gets in return is an alarmingly devastating grin - most likely in reaction to the word “honeymoon”. 

“Besides,” she pushes on, as she pulls her sweater off, enjoying the look on his face as he watches, “I understand you sparred with Sean today. That’s not nothing.” 

“A worthy foe, but not quite the standard to which I’ve become accustomed when staying here.” 

Maud scoffs as she unhooks her bra. They both know Arland genuinely enjoys sparring with Sean since his fighting style is so different to anyone in the Holy Anocracy.

“I think there are other things I would rather discuss right now.” Maud says as she moves across the room to the bed.

“Ah yes? And what might those things be?” Arland asks her, as he takes hold of her wrist, dragging her onto the bed over him.

And as she swings one leg over him, coming to straddle his hips, her head dips down to meet his mouth, she whispers so softly it’s barely words, “oh, only how incredibly happy you make me.” 

\-- 

_This is the way of the Inns - people come, people go, even our favourites. We’re the waystation they pass through._

_But they always find their way back to us.  
_

**Author's Note:**

> shout out taylor alison swift for dropping evermore right as I was trying to finish this, it's a great writing album, and for inspiring the title (I ran out of blade puns, so just side stepped them entirely)
> 
> I couldn't possibly do the world building of Ilona & Gordon justice, so I just sidestepped that, and used a combination of Icelandic & Danish to get Stjasvæ, which is effectively 'star swimmer'. 
> 
> I realise on a final read that the voice of Gertrude Hunt reads a little... creepy, which was definitely not my intent. Omnicient narrators have that effect a bit.


End file.
